The use of a repeated sequence of capacitor-like structures for direct power conversion of the kinetic energy of charge particles, such as nuclear fission products, has been suggested in a variety of guises, including, for example, Published Patent Application WO2012042329, filed Sep. 20, 2011, entitled Radioactive Isotope Electrostatic Generator, L. Popa-Simil, Pseudo-Capacitor Structure for Direct Nuclear Energy Conversion, MRS Proceedings, 1100, 1100-JJ04-14 doi:10.1557/PROC-1100-JJ04-14 (2008), and US Published Patent Application 2010/0061503, filed Mar. 31, 2009, entitled “Pseudo-Capacitor Structure for Direct Nuclear Energy Conversion,” all of which are incorporated herein by reference. In all of the foregoing structures, alternating electrodes are electrically coupled such that electrical charge may flow from at least some of the electrodes to other electrodes within a stack of electrodes.
Limitations of conventional nuclear power conversion techniques, as those intermediated by heat engines, include poor efficiency, typically in the range of about 35%, which is much less than the Carnot efficiency for the entire process, because the temperature of steam used in a steam engine to power electrical generators is substantially less than the initial kinetic energy of products of the fission process at the core of a nuclear reactor.
Moreover, the limitation of other direct power conversion devices include their large size, due to the maximum electric fields supported by respective structures, and the difficulties presented by lack of scalability.